Front closure for reversible outerwear

ABSTRACT

Reversible outerwear comprised of a pair of front panels and rear panel joined by a plurality of seams. The front panels are attached by the zipper. The panels are fabricated as a laminate of a pair of opposed textile facings with an interstice stratum therebetween. One of the facings is an abrasion resistant dress weave and the other is a high-visibility knit. The zipper is covered by a pair of overlapping flaps, one on each front panel. The flaps are closed by a temporary fastener.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to protective clothing, more particularly, to reversible protective clothing such as reversible rainwear.

2. Description of the Related Art

Reversible rainwear are well-known articles of clothing that have suffered from such uncomfortable characteristics as undue weight, vapor impermeability, and unpleasant hand and feel. The undue weight often is due to relatively heavy plastic or rubber facing or impregnation. The vapor impermeability or vapor locking often is inherent in the plastic or rubber coating structures that are relied upon for waterproofing and wind proofing. The unpleasant hand and feel often is inherent in the ergonomics of non-textile surfaces. These deficiencies have made it particularly difficult to fabricate acceptable reversible garments having both the hand and feel of conventional dress clothing and the desired protection against inclement weather, chemical, medical, or other environments.

When a reversible raincoat is supplied with a covering for the front zipper, it is generally a single flap that extends over the zipper and attaches to the front of the raincoat. When the raincoat is reversed, the flap is on the inside, where it is difficult to use, thereby hampering the protective operation of the raincoat.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide reversible outerwear with a method of covering the zipper that operates effectively whether the outerwear is in normal or reverse mode.

More specifically, the reversible rainwear of the present invention comprises a plurality of panels joined by a plurality of seams. The panels are fabricated from a clothing material consisting of a dress facing and work facing. The dress facing consists essentially of a woven fabric for dress and the work facing consists essentially of a knit fabric for fluorescence and high visibility. The surfaces of both the facing strata and the seams are sealed by thermally laminated tape. The front zipper is covered by a pair of overlapping flaps, one on each front panel. The arrangement is such that, in dress mode, the rainwear's style remains intact, and, in work mode, the knit face retains aesthetic integrity despite presence of sealing tape. The flaps are outside when in dress mode and inside when in work mode.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and object of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a reversible raincoat of the present invention with the dress side out and work side in;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the raincoat of FIG. 1 with the work side out and dress side in;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a reversible rain jacket embodying the present invention with the dress side out;

FIG. 4 is a broken away, perspective view of a fragment of the rainwear of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a grossly exaggerated, cross-section of the fragment of FIG. 4 taken substantially along the line 5-5; and

FIG. 6 is a grossly exaggerated, fragmentary view of the zipper and microhook/microloop fastener arrangement of the rainwear of FIGS. 1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a reversible raincoat 10, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and rain jacket, shown in FIG. 3. References to “raincoat” are intended to encompass raincoats, rain jackets, and other similar outerwear.

The raincoat 10 is comprised of a pair of front panels 39, 41, a back panel 43, a collar section 49, and a pair of sleeves 42, 44. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the raincoat 10 has a dress facing 20 and a work facing 22. In FIG. 1 depicting dress mode, the dress facing 20 is exterior and the work facing 22 is interior. In FIG. 2 depicting work mode, the work facing 22 is exterior and the dress facing 20 is interior.

The terms, “dress facing” and “work facing,” indicate the function of the facings in the below-described embodiment. The dress facing gives the raincoat a more formal appearance, that of a typical raincoat, whereas the work facing provides high visibility in inclement weather or darkness. The two facings are illustrative and the present invention contemplates that they can have any appearance. The terms, “dress facing” and “work facing,” are intended to include any pair of facings, not only the two described herein.

The reversible raincoat 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 and the reversible rain jacket 12 of FIG. 3 have essentially the same structure, except that the rain jacket 12 extends from neck to waist, whereas the raincoat 10 extends from neck to lower legs. The rain jacket 12 includes front panels 91, 92, a back panel 93, a collar section 96, and sleeves 94, 95.

In the fragment of the raincoat 10 shown in FIG. 4, two panels 24, 26 are shown as being stitched along a seam 28. The seam 28 is sealed by a tape 30, which is bonded to and extends along the seam 28 in contact with the contiguous edges of the work facings 22 of the panels 24,

Seams 32 and 33 join the sleeves 42, 44 to the panels 39, 41, 43. Seams 34 and 35 join the front panels 39, 41 to the back panel 43. Seams 36 and 37 join the lower portions of the reversely contiguous edges of the fabric from which the sleeves 42, 44 are formed. With the raincoat 10 in dress mode as in FIG. 1, the taped seams 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 are shown as dashed lines, depicting the tape 30 on the work facing 22 when concealed at the interior of the raincoat 10. With the raincoat 10 in work mode as in FIG. 2, the taped seams 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 are shown as solid lines, depicting the tape 30 on the work facing 22 when revealed at the exterior of the raincoat 10.

Optionally, when the raincoat 10 is in work mode, a retro-reflective band 45 surrounds the chest and back, retro-reflective bands 47 surround the wrists, and retro-reflective bands 48 surround arms.

The front panels 39, 41, the back panel 43, and the sleeves 42, 44 are composed of a fabric construction, where one surface is the dress facing 20 and the opposite surface is the work facing 22. The present invention contemplates that any adequate fabric structure can be used with the present invention. FIG. 5 illustrates details of one such contemplated fabric construction and is not intended to be limiting. This fabric construction comprises a single-ply laminate of the dress facing 20, the work facing 22, and an interstice stratum 52.

Preferably, for durability and abrasion resistance, the dress facing 20 is a light-weight nylon or polyester weave of a dark uniform color, such as navy, midnight blue, brown, or charcoal black. It is a plain weave in the form of a 100% textured polyester, ranging from 2.0 to 4.5 oz. per square yard. Preferably, this weave weighs approximately 2.18 oz. per square yard, and has a 70 denier warp and 140 denier filling.

Preferably, the work facing 22 is a high-luminosity polyester knit that is fluorescent yellow or orange. This knit weighs between 1 oz. and 2.5 oz. per square yard and preferably weighs approximately 1.65 oz. per square yard. Generally, the tape 30 is composed of the same material as the work facing 22, namely a high-luminosity polyester knit that is fluorescent yellow or orange in color. Preferably, the appearance of the tape 30 is virtually the same as the appearance of the work facing 22 so that it blends visually with the work facing 22 when bonded thereto.

When there is an interstice stratum, it is typically composed of a waterproof, windproof, and breathable microporous or bicomponent membrane. One such membrane material is sold by W. L Gore under the trade designation, Gore-Tex or Crosstech. Typically, the weight of the membrane ranges from 0.75 oz. to 2.5 oz. per square yard, and preferably is approximately 1.5 oz. per square yard. The membrane consists of expanded polytetratluroroethylene that is impregnated with an oleophobic polymer. This membrane contains billions of pores per square inch, each being thousands of times smaller than a water droplet but hundreds of times larger than a water vapor molecule. This composition passes perspiration vapor from the inside, but blocks water and wind from the outside. The impregnated oleophobic polymer provides resistance against blood-borne pathogen and common chemical liquid penetration.

The dress facing 20, interstice stratum 52, and work facing 22 are laminated together by adhesive bonding strata 54, 56, and the inner surface of the tape 30 is sealed to a coating 60 of the work facing 22 by a bonding stratum 64. In one form, the bonding strata 54, 56 and 64 are composed of a micro-porous or hydrophilic polymer, such as polyurethane.

Typically, the outer surfaces of the dress facing 20 and work facing 22 are infused with a water repellant treatment 58, 60, which, in combination with the microporous membrane, effectively render the fabric water repellant, waterproof, and windproof. Water repellent treatments 58, 60 generally are composed of a fluorocarbon polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene.

Generally, the illustrated laminate ranges in total thickness between 0.2 to 0.9 millimeters and ranges in weight between 5 and 6 ounces per square yard. Preferably, the thickness is approximately 0.38 millimeters and the weight is approximately 5.4 ounces per square yard.

A zipper 55 extends from the collar section 49 to the waist section 46 and serves to fasten and unfasten the front of the jacket. In order for the raincoat 10 to maintain water resistance, the zipper 55 is typically designed to be waterproof. Water resistant and waterproof zipper designs are well-known in the art.

In order aid in water resistance, the zipper 55 is covered by a pair of overlapping flaps 68, 70 attached to the dress facing 20, one on each of the front panels 39, 41 adjacent to the zipper 55. The flaps 68, 70 extend at least the length of the zipper 55 and typically from the collar section 49 to the bottom hem 31. The present invention also contemplates that the flaps are attached to the work facing.

The flaps 68, 70 include mating temporary fasteners 76. In one embodiment, the fasteners 76 are microhook/microloop fasteners. One flap 68 has on its outer surface a plurality of microhook patches 72 and the other flap 70 has on its inner surface a mating plurality of microloop patches 74. Alternatively, microhook and microloop strips extend the length of the flaps 68, 70. Alternatively, a microhook strip extends the length of the flap and the other flap has a plurality of microloop patches. It is obvious that the locations of the microhook and microloop patches and strips can be reversed.

In another embodiment, the fasteners 76 are a series of mating snaps, with female snaps on one flap and male snaps on the other flap.

When the raincoat is in dress mode, as shown in FIG. 1, fastening the front is achieved by zipping up the zipper 55 and then overlapping the two flaps 68, 70 and fastening the fasteners 76. When the raincoat is in work mode, as shown in FIG. 2, fastening the front is achieved by overlapping the two flaps 68, 70, fastening the fasteners 76, and then zipping up the zipper 55. Naturally, if the flaps are attached to the work facing rather than the dress facing, the reverse will be true.

Thus it has been shown and described a reversible, protective rainwear which satisfies the objects set forth above.

Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 

1. A reversible raincoat comprising: (a) a first front panel and a second front panel that span the anterior of a wearer, said panels being attachable to each other by a zipper; (b) a back panel that spans the posterior of said wearer; (c) said panels being stitched together along seams; (d) each of said panels having a pair of facings; (e) a first flap extending from one of said facings of said first front panel and adapted to overlap said zipper; (f) a second flap extending from the same facing of said second front panel and adapted to overlap said first flap, said flaps being attachable together by a temporary fastener.
 2. The reversible raincoat of claim 1 wherein said temporary fastener is a mating set of microhook/microloop fasteners.
 3. The reversible raincoat of claim 1 wherein said temporary fastener is a mating set of snaps.
 4. The reversible raincoat of claim 1 wherein each of said panels is fabricated from a single ply of fabric formed from a laminate of said facings and an interstice stratum therebetween, said interstice stratum being vapor permeable, and said facings being infused with a water repellant polymer.
 5. The reversible raincoat of claim 4 wherein said interstice stratum is composed of a waterproof, windproof and breathable membrane.
 6. The reversible raincoat of claim 1 wherein and one of said facings is fluorescent and a fluorescent tape extends along at least some of said seams in contact with and bonded to said fluorescent facing across said last-mentioned seams.
 7. A reversible raincoat comprising: (a) a first front panel and a second front panel that span the anterior of a wearer, said panels being attachable to each other by a zipper; (b) a back panel that spans the posterior of said wearer; (c) each of said panels being fabricated from a single ply of fabric formed from a laminate of a pair of facings and an interstice stratum therebetween, said interstice stratum being composed of a waterproof, windproof and breathable membrane, said facings being infused with a fluoroethylene polymer, one of said facings being fluorescent, and said facings and said interstice stratum being laminated together by a polymer; (d) said panels being stitched together along seams; (e) fluorescent tape extending along at least some of said seams in contact with and bonded to said fluorescent facing across said last-mentioned seams; (f) a first flap extending from one of said facings of said first front panel and adapted to overlap said zipper; (g) a second flap extending from the same facing of said second front panel and adapted to overlap said first flap, said flaps being attachable together by a temporary fastener.
 8. The reversible raincoat of claim 7 wherein said temporary fastener is a mating set of microhook/microloop fasteners.
 9. The reversible raincoat of claim 7 wherein said temporary fastener is a mating set of snaps. 